Geoff Millard

Geoff Millard describes the widespread use of “Hajis” as a derogatory term for Iraqis, including those who worked for the Americans, and even for Pakistani workers. He heard that term used by officers all the way up to General Casey. “These things start at the top, not the bottom,” he says. Millard describes a briefing he attended for a general about an incident in which a young soldier saw a vehicle driving fast toward a check point, decided it was a threat, and fired 200 rounds from his machine gun, killing a mother, father, and their two small children. The response of a colonel at the briefing: “If these f’ing Hajis learned to drive, this ‘s’ wouldn’t happen.”